Adagene Announces Collaboration with Sanofi for Novel Masked Immuno-Oncology Antibody Candidates

Adagene, a company focused on antibody-based therapies, announced on March 2, 2022 that it is collaborating with Sanofi to generate masked monoclonal and bispecific antibodies. The companies have formed an exclusive license agreement for development and commercialization by Sanofi.

Adagene’s SAFEbody technology will be used for early research activities to develop masked versions of Sanofi candidate antibodies. All later research, product development, and commercialization will be handled by Sanofi.

SAFEbody technology utilizes precision masking technology to address safety and tolerability challenges associated with many antibody therapeutics. This technology can be applied to monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, as well as a wide variety of other therapeutics modalities.

Sanofi will make an upfront payment of $17.5 million to Adagene, as well as potential milestone payments of up to $2.5 billion.

“We are excited to work with Sanofi and unlock the potential of multiple promising yet challenging immuno-oncology targets by applying our SAFEbody precision masking technology, which is validated by extensive preclinical research as well as clinical data from our ADG126 anti-CTLA-4 program,” said Peter Luo, Ph.D., co-founder, CEO, and chairman of Adagene, in a press release. “We are at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of antibody discovery and engineering by leveraging our AI-powered technology platform. This enables dynamic and precise target engagement by our antibody-based therapeutics, which are tailor made to overcome the fundamental challenges in oncology drug development today.”

Source: Adagene